The story of a good guy finding his volunteer fit - this works for women too!
(As you read this fictional story of a leader who wants to volunteer, can you relate to his life? How do your experiences with volunteering compare to what John encounters before finding a better way? Please send us your comments. Note: Some things John discovered are in the works. Stay tuned and visit our site often for updates and new possibilities.)
John Mortins arrived at work after a short commute. Not much traffic on the road at 4:30 am. He started early; he had to as an entrepreneur and CEO of his small manufacturing business. He enjoyed the work and had been quite successful. His philosophy of life included that if God blessed you, you needed to share liberally with others. He gave freely back to God - donating money to his church, his kids’ school, and various organizations. Giving money was good but felt a bit empty. He wanted to do something useful.
He’d tried the opportunities at church, but had quickly learned that his options seemed to be: teach Sunday School, work in the youth ministry, lead a small group, usher, or do parking lot duty. He’d tried most of them. It worked for a while but it left him, well, unfulfilled. God made him a businessman, an entrepreneur, a guy who was excellent at organizing and running an organization. He had offered his services to the senior pastor who had encouraged him but had not been able to help John find his fit.
He’d also tried to volunteer in the community. The choices were not much better: stocking shelves, serving meals, weeding parks, etc. He’d loaned his work space for community meetings. He’d loaned his trucks for various volunteer stuff. He’d even used his cabin to give people retreat opportunities. None of it fulfilled him though. It was still all about his stuff. What about his skills? Was he just supposed to make money and give it away? Did God make him just to work in the world and was that the extent of his contribution to the Kingdom of God? What about the body metaphor the pastor talked about? Wasn’t he one of the body parts?
He flipped on the lights in his office, fired up his laptop and reviewed his daily planner. A full day of meetings, a client visit and some time to work on reviewing plans for the next prototype one of his designers came up with. He noticed that he had a lunch meeting too. Oh yeah, that guy from church who he’d met a few Sundays ago. Seemed eager to talk to him about something. Asked if he could take him to lunch. Today must be the day. Never a good time, but who knows. It might be good to connect with another businessman from Valley View. This guy was another CEO, the owner of his own furniture company.
After a focused morning of several meetings, answering emails, reading some reports, and making some necessary calls, his Blackberry reminded him it was time for lunch. He grabbed his jacket and wallet and went to the restaurant. Brendan was there already and greeted him with the same enthusiasm he had noticed that Sunday. Turned out he was a fellow morning person, had had his own full day already, etc. They were seated, they ordered and exchanged the usual small talk. They both had been at Valley View for years. They laughed about how easy it was to be at church with the same people and never meet. They agreed it was sad and probably said something about the typical approach to church.
Brendan told John his story about wanting to give back and looking for a place to serve. “I don’t want to stack cans in the back room,” he quipped laughing. John nodded. He knew that feeling. Brendan continued that he’d tried to volunteer at church but didn’t relish Easter parking lot duty and being assigned to the lower parking lot standing in the bushes. John started laughing. “Brendan, I had no idea you shared my experiences! You tell it much funnier though.”
Brendan asked if John was plugged into any volunteer opportunities anywhere. John explained how he had tried the various church opportunities without finding his fit. He also told of his attempts to help out in the community—also without success. “In fact, Brendan, I was just thinking this morning: Am I just supposed to make money and give it away? Am I designed to do anything in God’s Kingdom?”
Brendan took the opportunity to tell John about Semper Vita—an organization he was involved in. He confessed it was his ulterior motive for setting up the lunch because John was a business executive. He told John how Semper Vita has partnered with churches and non-profit organizations to provide opportunities for all sorts of people, including executives, business and professional people - all to use their gifts and skills to impact the community for Christ. “In fact, their vision is that ‘everyone experience Jesus through service in community.’ They recognized that there usually is no place for professionals, executives and leaders to serve in the community or in churches. Therefore, they created a program that can help guys like us find a useful place to serve.”
“There are many business people making significant contributions through meaningful service. I love it,” Brendan continued. “I’m involved in helping a local non-profit create a business plan to improve efficiencies, operations and increase visibility. One thing that they had not done well is to develop a clear concise statement about who they are. When I first came in, the staff all had a vague idea about their purpose and mission, but they weren’t speaking the same language. It’s been great to help them—frustrating too because they move slow - but they’re making progress. And, I feel like I’m finally doing something useful.”
“I donate a couple of hours a week. It’s not a Christian non-profit, but they know that I’m a Christian. Some have asked me about my faith. Some have asked about the church. When they do, I speak to them in regular English and answer their questions. Mostly I try to demonstrate Jesus to them through my actions. I learned that through Semper Vita too. I was worried that signing up meant that I’d have to share the Gospel with everyone. Not so. In fact, they train you to do quite the opposite. The goal is to live, act and be Jesus to those we work with. Then, when they ask, they’re ready for the conversation. Even then, it’s only as far as their questions. According to Semper Vita, it’s up to God to draw people to Himself. We need to be willing, ready and trained to be witnesses if He opens the opportunities but we don’t need to make it happen. Sometimes that's tough for a guy who lives to ‘make it happen.’”
John indicated that he only had a few more minutes before he had to go. Brendan agreed and said he needed to run too. When John returned to his car he was curious to learn more about finding a way to volunteer that suited him.
After a full day, he packed up and took his laptop home. After dinner, coaching little league and other family commitments, John was tired. Getting ready to call it a night, he and his wife Ann spent a little time talking about the day. Ann asked about his day and lunch. She’d remembered that he was having lunch with a guy from church. He suspected she’d been praying for him to find some Christian guys to do stuff with. He told her briefly about the conversation. She was very intrigued. “John, I know it’s late but I’d love to see the site.” So, even though he planned to do it later - maybe later in the week now that he was tired - he agreed. He fired up the laptop and quickly returned to the tagged page. Ann read over his shoulder. “Looks great John. It’s just what you’ve been talking about for all those years.”
John seems intrigued with the possibilities. His wife wants him to check it out. Will John risk and find out more about volunteering using Semper Vita? Read more about John's story tomorrow...
